Kapi Natto is new chairman of NLA

Seated (left-right) Mr Peter Heno- (Treasurer elect), Mr John Kapi Natto- (Chairman elect), Emmanuel Atakaro (Deputy Chairman elect) and Clark Faso – (General Secretary and Public Officer) and standing were supporters of Mr Kapi Natto who were there to celebrate his election victory at the Hilton Hotel.

By NOBERT KOKE

THE Namaporo Landowners Association (NLA) have voted in John Kapi Natto as their new chairman during an Annual General Meeting (AGM) held at the Hilton Hotel recently.

Mr Kapi Natto polled 80 votes out of the 112 votes counted to be elected as the chairman with Mark Sakai only polling 32 votes to be the runner up. Of the 117 ILG chairman, only 114 were eligible to vote but from the votes counted two were informal.

The court ordered election took place after a struggle for leadership within the association which started in 2007 up to 2014 after a long court battle.

In 2014 the court advised both factions led by Mr Kapi Natto and Mr Sakai to hold an AGM to elect the office bearers and the faction led by Mr Sakai was then elected and declared by the electoral commission.

Majority of the landowners did not agree with the election of Mr Sakai stating that the AGM didn’t work out well so they went back to court.

It took almost five years for the ruling to come out and on May this year (2019) the court declared the election of Mr Sakai null and void and asked the electoral commission to conduct a fresh election and Mr Kapi Natto was then elected as the new chairman by majority of the landowners during the AGM.

Mr Kapi Natto said it was a big relief for his people.

“Because the orders came back that the election didn’t go well and that the court ordered to conduct an elective AGM within a month so today (Saturday) was the demonstration of it by upholding the laws and the orders,” Mr Kapi Natto said.

During the Elective AGM number of key resolutions was passed with one of them being the Constitution.

“The constitution has authorised and endorsed 117 ILGs to be part of the constitution so that they are eligible to vote.

“The eight of June is the date we fulfilled all the court orders and the election was done peacefully and transparently in the presence of the electoral commission, and also our security personnel that were here. It was done fairly and honestly and the results were declared by the electoral commission.”

Kapi Natto said as the chairman he and the new office bearers including executives from the four regions of Hekari, Gasuku, Huri-aporo and Soro-moro will work together to ensure that the people of Namaporo get whatever benefit they have been missing out.